Few steps for entertaining

• Stay in your comfort zone: Prepare items within your skill level and budget.
• Keep it simple: Serve the number of people you easily can accommodate.
• Invest a little time: Work out a schedule so you know in what order to prepare the food.
• Invite guest in advance: Give them plenty of time to make arrangements.
• Serve dinner promptly: Allow about one hour for before dinner appetizers and beverages, but not much more you don't want your guests famished or stuffed, by the time they sit down to dinner.
• Don't panic: It happens to the best of cooks--the soup scorches, the souffle' falls. Make light of it and move on.

Setting the Table

• Casual family meals: Teaspoons and knives go to the right of the dinner plate. Forks and napkins go to the left of the dinner plate. Place glass above the knife. A soup spoon and salad fork may be added to the correct side. Cup and saucer may be placed to the right.
• Informal dinners or luncheons: Same as above. Above each plate place a dessert spoon and fork, pointing left and right. Arrange glasses above the knife and spoon. Bread/salad plate and bread knife are located above the fork.
• Formal dinners: Place knives (blade edges in) next to the plate. Place spoons to the right of the knives in order of use from outside in. Place forks to the left of the plate in order of use from the outside in. Arrange glasses above the knives in this order: (left to right) water goblets, then wineglasses, placed large to small. Place bread/salad plates above the forks. A butter knife may be placed across each bread plate. The cups, saucers, and coffee spoons are placed to the right of the setting, though for formal dinners these items usually are brought to the table when served.

Basic Table Manners

Here are a few basic customs to practice.

• Flatware: When the meal begins, take silverware from the outside of the place setting for the first course and work your way in toward the plate. Never put used flatware back on the table. When it is not in use you may lay the knife across the back of the plate, slightly to one side, handle on the side. During the meal, lay the fork across the plate at an angle to you with the handle on the rim. When finish, turn fork over and place handle at 4:00 on the rim of plate.
• Passing dishes (family setting): Pass to the right, from person to person. Don't pass over someone.
• Passing dishes (formal setting): Pass to the right and set the dishes in the front of the person next to you; don't hand them directly to him or her.
• Finger food: When it's not obvious whether a food should be eaten with utensils or with your fingers, watch the host, other guests, or other diners in a restaurant. If still in doubt, use utensils.
• Napkins: At informal meals, put your napkin on your lap when you sit down. At formal meals. wait until after the host puts the dinner napkin in his or her lap. Leave the napkin in your lap when not in use until you leave the table. If you leave the table, place the napkin on your chair or to the left of your plate. If the napkin is soiled fold the napkin to conceal the soiled places. At the end of the meal, leave the napkin folded to the left of your plate. If your plate has been removed, leave the napkin in the center of the place setting.
• Talking: Chew and swallow your food before talking. Keep your mouth closed while you are eating.
• End of the Meal: Lay the knife and fork across your plate with the handles at the 4o'clock position so that shows that you have finished eating.
• Serving and Clearing: Serve from a person's left and clear from the right. Only beverages are poured from the right side. Do not clear plates from guests at the table until everyone has finished eating.
• R.S.V.P: If you see "R.S.V.P". on an invitation, you must respond whether or not you plan to attend. If there is a phone number, call or if there is a card, return it to the host. When no R.S.V.P. , you do not need to respond but the host would appreciate it if you do.